The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its report on the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. The non-partisan government watchdog found that the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI properly identified credible threats to the Capitol in the lead-up to the January 6 protest that turned into a riot but did not share information about those threats.

There were 10 federal agencies responsible for protecting the Capitol that day and none of them fully processed or shared critical information about threats to the Capitol with each other. These threats included those of militia groups who were arming themselves in preparation for that day. The report specifically points to the FBI as the agency that did not follow policies for processing tips, including tips that included information related to potential violence on January 6. This lack of properly following guidelines did not allow the information to be developed into reports shared with other agencies.

Capitol Police did not inform their members of the threats. Some agencies did not have policies that allowed threat information to be shared. Agencies used the same methods to identify threats centered around January 6 as any other demonstration, including MAGA rallies and BLM protests during the Summer of Love in 2020. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Intelligence and Analysis said they hesitated to report January 6 threats because of scrutiny it received for reporting previous events in 2020. That looks like the lamest of the excuses. Did Homeland Security think it was more important to avoid criticism for reporting threats than to do their job and analyze information and pass it along? It’s an incredible admission.

The GAO report recommends the obvious – agencies need to implement plans to improve internal and external communications to be better able to respond to future threats. GAO will update its website with which actions each agency takes. Complacency has taken a toll on preparedness. And, in hindsight, it was a huge mistake to take threats made about the January 6 events the same as any other planned demonstration in Washington, D.C. Protecting the public is their top responsibility.

The GAO was asked by members of Congress during the hearings on January 6 to issue reports on federal efforts to prepare for January 6 events, including gathering intelligence, coordination, and later the response to the attack. GAO has issued several such reports. The first report was issued in August 2022. Recommendations were presented at that time.

The events of January 6 included three events:

1. a scheduled Presidential rally on the Ellipse,
2. a joint session of Congress to count electoral votes, and
3. a non-permitted protest at the Capitol.

Despite concerns about potential violence, we found that DHS did not designate these events as “special events,” which would have provided additional security. DHS also did not receive requests from a state governor, local government entity, or a federal official to designate the events as “special events.” Key stakeholders cited confusion over the process. For example, D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency officials stated that they did not think the D.C. Government had the authority to request a special designation for an event on federal property.

As a result of these issues, we made two recommendations to DHS to help prepare for designating future events as National Special Security Events. These included reviewing their process for special event designations that could pose security risks, and clarifying and communicating the process for requesting a designation for an event held on federal property in Washington, D.C.

Is a presidential rally on the Ellipse a regular thing that happens? No, no it is not. DHS should have understood that it was a “special event” as soon as the department learned the news. Why didn’t DHS more aggressively try to coordinate with another agency in order to label it a special event.

This kind of report certainly shows the excesses in the federal government and how those excesses are not a good thing for Americans. As mentioned at the beginning of this post, there were 10 agencies tasked with protecting the Capitol on January 6. It was an epic failure. The federal government bureaucracy has grown to unmanageable proportions. Something as basic as the protection of Americans during unusual times is impossible.